The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1887-04-21


men. was sorely tempted to get up, ns
reflected on the absurdity of perambul a.
ing the solemn halls of the university "a
such an hour with no definite object, III,
exact aim. (.
{ The subject was q wakeful one, but the
next day claimed its labor, and I cou Id
not afford the luxury of wakefulness.
could not sleep at once, but luckily pcs
sessing q secret method by which one cam
force ones self to sleep, applied it, and
in the end succeeded and fell away.
Then it came again, and with flash Of
light such as comes when one presses the
eyeballs sharply, flash that affected me
like sound. There she stood, the unknown
stranger with the look of one knew in,
timately, yet could not name or place,
hollow eyed, agonized, desperate. And
now she moved her right arm once, twice,
thrice, reckoning me in the direction of
the other tower. Was it she who was
being murdered somewhere in the neigh
borhood? Was it the young Englishman
who needed helpp I sprang up, to find
her vanished; but this time, following
some impulse, thrust on some clothes
and my shoes, leaped across the room,
tore open the door, rushed out on the roof
and hurried over to Raymond's windows,
which look southwark. The last ray of
the moonlight shone obliquely into them.
peered through the panes, and there,
on his friend and protectors carpet, lay
the young law student with q hole in his
right temple and an ugly stain below his
head.
He was beyond all aid; there was moth
ing to be done. After rousing Raymond
and notifying the authorities happened to
look at the time. 1t was hardly o'clock.
With the ambulance came the purveyors
of news and learned all that we knew and
more, for they discovered his proper name.
When Raymond and I went dismally
forth to get an early breakfast the papers
had the story and the cry was already
pushing through the quiet streets. Tell
ing him nothing of my dream, made him
60 with me to breakfast at the New York
hotel We had finished, silently enough,
when clutched his arm.
''Therer' whispered, "that girl there
came to me last night in a dream--an up
parition-how do / know what it wasf
She came thrice, and fool that l was
delayed till the last summons. Do you
suppose could have saved him had gone
at oncef" -...
Raymond looked scared, as well he
might, for there was nothing to show that
my reason had not become unbalanced
from shock. l treasured him by hastily
telling of the meeting the day before, but
succeeded only partially; for who believes
in apparitions!
The young girl went quietly to her seat,
pale as ghost but not sorrowful looking;
rather she appeared like some one who
has been through great suffering and had
then been permitted to forget; but the
marks of the strain remain. She was
joined by the elderly gentleman, and then
came to O fixed conclusion SO far as their
relations went, namely, that she was not
his wife, not his niece, not his daughter,
but stood to him in some confidential re-
lation as of guardian to ward. My rea-
sons would not bear criticism, for they
were founded ON intangible shades of man
ner. mere nothings that often tell so much.
She smiled and looked brave and cheerful
in what was to me-but was it to any
body elsee-a heartbreaking way, but
went on with her meal quietly and in ap-
parent content,
= Then the devil Of curiosity took posses
sion of us; yes, even of Raymond, kind
lest Of men. We hesitated, but both
knew from the first that it must be done
and hated ourselves cordially for doing it.
Taking the paper with the account of the
tragedy, marked the name of our late
friend, called waiter and told him to
slip the newspaper near her plate when
she was preoccupied.
Presently she unfolded London weekly
and began to read, 50 that the waiter
found it easy to do as he was bid.
In n few moments she looked weary,
glanced out of the window, dropped her
paper. Her eyes fell pensively on her
hands, thence to the marked journal
Ever since. have cursed curiosity and
cursed my brutal deed. She gave cry as
terrible-well, as terrible rs the look of
that apparition which came to me during
the night-and fell forward on the preaks
fast table, -.
Conscience stricken at my crime, for 1t
seemed nothing less, we hurried from the
place. To this day have never laid eyes
on her or her companion.
Was she his sister, his betrothed, his
wife? Had he seen her the evening before,
and, if so, what was their interview? I
do not know and shall never try to find
out. Enough to have seen the wreck of
two Young lives and had no safety line to
throw to one. or the otheri-"Cailis in
New York Times. r.